Courtney Williams

Resilient, unwavering, and suddenly just a single 3-pointer away from rising from the figurative ashes during Game One of the 2024 Finals, the Minnesota Lynx fittingly found survival through a play described as one that “may live forever in WNBA history.” Helping erase a 15-point deficit and a 0.8 percent win probability with a quickness reminiscent of her dribble, Courtney Williams, unflinchingly-confident after her initial game-tying triple doesn’t drop, merely relocates, providing her teammate with a desperation outlet. Pressed for time with just six seconds remaining, Williams does Minnesota one better, burying a 3-pointer, plus a foul on Sabrina Ionescu, gifting the underdog Lynx the lead outright. Williams’ heroic four-point play, one likely to be inserted into WNBA vignettes for the rest of time, marked the close to a thrilling 18-2 run over the final five minutes, eventually helping guide an overtime victory. In her self-proclaimed “Birkin bag” all throughout the postseason, the bucket-getting guard found that its contents on October 10, 2024 included 23 points (on 9-of-18 shooting) — including 17 in the second half — alongside five rebounds, five assists, and two 3-pointers.